Job Title
Senior Director of Operations
Job Description
The Senior Director of Operations for Maintenance, Reliability & Engineering (MRE) is a strategic and operational leader responsible for driving excellence across asset management, engineering, and reliability functions. This role ensures the safe, efficient, and cost‑effective operation of facilities and equipment, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. The ideal candidate will bring deep technical expertise, strong leadership capabilities, and a proven track record of delivering results in complex industrial environments.
In concert with the priorities of a significant business transformation, the Senior Director Operations leads a central organization that supports the enterprise business, while also enabling the growth of service offerings on account. As a senior leader in the transformation, this role influences strategy and establishes priorities for the account. Responsibilities include evangelizing the benefits of self‑performing engineering services, integrating disparate groups of mobile engineers as well as converting third‑party supported services into self‑performed.
Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and execute long‑term strategies for maintenance, reliability, and engineering aligned with both account/client and corporate goals.
- Lead capital planning and asset lifecycle management to optimize performance and ROI.
- Collaborate with cross‑functional leaders to align operations with business objectives.
Operational Excellence
- Drive preventive and predictive maintenance programs to maximize equipment uptime and reliability to world‑class standards.
- Implement world‑class reliability practices including RCM, TPM, and root cause analysis.
- Drive standardization of engineering and maintenance processes across all sites and business units.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead a high‑performing team of engineering, maintenance, and reliability professionals.
- Foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Mentor and develop talent, ensuring succession planning and capability building.
Performance & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with all regulatory, environmental, and safety standards.
- Monitor contract KPIs and operational metrics to drive performance improvements.
- Manage budgets, forecasts, and cost control initiatives.
Innovation & Technology
- Champion the adoption of digital tools, CMMS systems, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
- Evaluate and implement new technologies to improve reliability and reduce downtime.
- Lead engineering innovation initiatives to support operational scalability and sustainability.
Business Development
- Coordinate all special sales and related activities, working in conjunction with Operations Directors, Regional Leaders, and Site Leadership, to develop plans for business growth.
- Support VP/SVP activity to help generate new business.
Finance
- Monitor and evaluate current and new account budgets, with emphasis on the management of overhead, labor, materials, and service contract expenses to achieve financial objectives.
- Analyze financial dashboards on a monthly basis.
- Monitor and review payroll compliance to ensure timely completion and processing.
- Oversee and monitor the purchasing and inventory control functions for all account locations.
- Develop and administer cost containment/reduction activities among assigned accounts.
People Leadership
- Drive overall process for screens, interviews, and selecting exempt personnel (Directors, Regional Managers, Senior Managers, Managers, Area Managers, etc.), working in conjunction with Human Resources.
- Oversee the process for selection and hiring of non‑exempt personnel (facilities staff) and ensure compliance with applicable guidelines.
- Evaluate the work performance of all direct reports annually and prepare a calibration and succession plan account‑wide.
- Establish contingency staffing for directors, regionals, operations managers, area managers, and in anticipation of new accounts.
- Partner with Human Resources to establish and implement career development paths for leaders and supervisors.
- Drive and monitor compliance with technical skills training of employees, ensuring timely record keeping and re‑training as required.
- Remain knowledgeable about union contracts and guidelines, participating in union salary issues, grievances, layoffs, and other related matters.
Safety
- Partner with Safety leadership to oversee and implement safety policy, procedures, and communications for all personnel.
- Provide active leadership in establishing and maintaining a culture of safety, including adherence to company practices, establishment of safety review boards, and oversight of safety training.
- Monitor and evaluate Workers Compensation activities within the area of operations.
Other
- Perform special assignments as needed or as requested by the Senior Vice President and/or the Vice President of Operations.
- Execute other responsibilities as determined by senior leadership.
Position Requirements
- BA/BS degree in Business Management/Engineering/Leadership or related field.
- MBA preferred but not required.
- Previous service industry experience, progressing to a senior leadership position.
- Demonstrated problem solving and customer service skills.
- Proven administrative, management, and leadership skills.
- Digital fluency skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Strong customer service skills.
- Flexibility with regard to schedule and ability to travel at least 50%.
- Minimum ten years’ (10) experience in the maintenance, reliability, and engineering services industry, with at least seven years in a leadership position.
Benefits
Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman & Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.
Compensation
The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications. The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role. The compensation for the position is: $182,750.00 – $215,000.00.
Equal Opportunity Employer
C&W Services is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.
Accommodation for Disabilities
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at or email Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.
Additional Information
INCO: “C&W Services”
Seniority Level
- Executive
Employment Type
- Full‑time
Job Function
- Management and Manufacturing